Toronto, Montreal and Calgary airports in Canada have announced they are to implement check-in and gate technology from SITA by early 2023 to improve passenger experience.
Boarding technology and 700 check-in kiosks will be implemented across the three airports. The new touchpoints will fulfill Canadian accessibility requirements and aviation security standards and feature text-to-speech hardware, navigational keypads, height controls designed for passengers using wheelchairs, tap and chip and pin payment technology for inflight upgrades and biometric camera capability for future use.
The new touchpoints are expected to make it easier to incorporate both contactless and biometric capabilities that will enable airports and airlines to evolve as processes modernize. SITA will also provide operational teams at each airport to monitor for any potential bottlenecks in the terminals. This is intended to improve operational performance, provide efficiencies and streamline processes, ultimately resulting in a more effortless guest experience. The collaboration between the airports is intended to support the recovery of Canada’s broader aviation industry.
Aymeric Dussart, vice president of technology and innovation at ADM Aéroports de Montréal, said, “This announcement is the result of a unique collaboration among three major Canadian airports. This new platform will allow us to offer a harmonized digital airport experience for passengers and a unique technology integration approach for airlines operating in Canada. We are also delighted to collaborate once again with SITA, a long-standing partner with a significant presence in Montréal that has made our city its center of excellence in innovation.”
Megan Gupton, chief technology officer and senior director of IT for the Calgary Airport Authority, commented, “Our combined vision is to offer the best passenger experience in Canada and highest-quality services to our airlines and industry partners. As air traffic rebounds, we see several benefits to our guests in furthering technological solutions like facial recognition boarding – getting us closer to our goal of being a contactless airport.”
Ian Clarke, chief financial officer at Greater Toronto Airports Authority, added, “This important relationship is pivotal in providing our passengers with the airport experience of the future. As travel continues to ramp up, we are committed to cultivating a smoother process for our passengers, and this new technology represents a key element of achieving this objective.”
Matthys Serfontein, president for the Americas at SITA, concluded, “We know that passengers want more control of their journey with automated solutions that make travel fast and convenient. We are pleased to bring this experience to three of Canada’s busiest airports and build on our long-standing partnerships.”
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